Self-lubricating pulley



M. H. BALLARD.

Lusicnms PuLLE TION FIIJED IAN. 8. I9 8.

SEL'F Arruc Patented Mar. 28, 1922.A

MILTON II. BALLARD, OF LYNN, MASSACHU'SETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or New JERSEY.

SELF-LUBRICATING PULLEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

Application filed January 8,l 1918. Serial No. 210,854.

. a structure for lubricating the bearing of aV loose pulley. i

It has been` common to provide in a loose pulley an annular oil chamber and a member adapted to take oil from the chamber and apply it to the bearing. f

In pulleys of the general type described, in which a wick or other member extends into the oil chamber and serves to take oil from the chamber and apply it to the bearing, two similar conditions arise during the time the pulley is being speeded up and during the time it is coming to rest. During the speeding up, the wick acts somewhat as a paddle until the body of oil at-v tains momentum and becomes spread in a thin layer over the outer wall of the annular 011 chamber. The moving wick,

sweeping throughthe stationary or slowly moving oil, produces waves which travel toward the endsof the pulley and tend to carry some of the oil out through any ports or passages which maybe present in the end walls of the pulley. VAv similar effect is also produced .when the pulley is coming to rest except that in this case the wick lags behind the rapidly moving layer of oil and .obstructs its path. In both cases, however,

the oil is more or less tossed about and tends to be thrown out of the pulley at the endsv ing, has a tail extending into the oil cham-i ber;and between this tail and an inlet port in one end of the pulleytwo spaced, perforated baffle platesare located the perforations in one plate being out of line with those in the other. The actionvof these baffie plates is cumulative and effectually prevents oil from being thrown ont through the inlet port during the speeding up or the slowing down of the pulley.v

In order to avoid the necessity of inserting therspout of an oil can into the annular inlet port, a procedure which might under some conditions present diiiiculties, aswell Aas to ensure that any oil which may run out of the inlet port when the pulley is brought ytorest will be returned to the oil chamber,

another feature of the invention comprises a stationary member having means to receive oil from an oil can or other source of supply and direct it into the said inlet port, this member serving also to catch any drip of oil and direct it back into the oil chamber in the pulley. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention a collar fast to the shaft adjacent the inlet port is provided with properly shaped and locatedy grooves and bevels to accomplish these ends.

These and other features of the invention, including` certain details of construction and combinations of parts willbe'described as embodied -in an Villustrative device and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings,d 1

Fig. 1 is a front view, partly in elevation and partly in section, on the line 1-1 of Fig. 4 of -a pulleyin which the present in-y vention is embodied;

. Fig. 2 is a perspective, Vpartly in section ofthe pulley;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the stationary member for directing the oil from an oilcan or other source of supply into the oil chamber in the pulley, and

Fig. 4 is a section on line 1 4 of Fig. 1.

In the description which follows the words inner and outer will be used to desig-V nate locations whichare respectively nearer to or farther from the axis of the shaft upon Ywhich the pulley is mounted The pulley 5 has at its center a bushing 7 to fit a stationary shaft 9 upon which the pulley is revoluble. In the hub of the pulleyis an annular chamber 11 to hold the oil from lwhich the shaft 9 is supplied. Two absorbent members 13 and 15 are provided Vto take oil from the Chamber and apply it nein to the shaft; and since these members are alike only one ot them will be described` The absorbent member or wick 13 is shaped as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. being' supported by shoulders 'lorined in the vertical walls of the oil chamber und havingY a tail whifh extends substantially to the outer wall ot the oil chamber. rllhe inner end oit' this absorbent member (the upper end in Fig'. 1) extends through an. elongated slot in the bushingr T into Contact with the periphery of lthe shaft 9. lVhen the pulley is at rest the tating as well as to be able to supply oil when the pulley is at rest without han -ing to turn the pulley. as is'conunonlyl necessary, until an oil-hole is accessible.

y To this end there is provided in one `end ot the pulley an annular inlet port 1i' :which communicates with the annular oil chamber in4 the pulley. lilith the construe tion thus tar described. the operator may at any time insert the spout otan oil ran in the inlet port and supply oil to the oil chamber. Moreover itt the pulley is at rest.;

he can see the surfaffe of the oil and brine' 4 tion imparted to it by the rotating; pulley.

applied to the pulley to rotate it. the inletk -ehaniber but into a' compartment or auxillary Voil chamber Q3 having adiameter less it tothe proper levelj which is about that vindicated in Fig. 1.

When power 1s applied to the pulley to rotate it7 the absorbent n'iembers 13, 15 act Yat first as paddles and set up waves in the oil which move divergently to 7ard the two ends of the pulley, this effect beine; 'particularly marked when power is first applied to the pulley before the oil has been spread by Centrifugal torre around the outer wall' ot the oil chamber and has had rotary niol't no further construction were' proridiul `than that which has been described above.

a certain amount ot oil would thus be thrown out through the inlet port 1"?. ln order to prevent this undesirable result.. au annular baliie pla-te 10 is located in the oil chamber 11 between the tails oil the wicks vor absorbent members 1?). 15 and the inlet "port 17. said plate benin' provided with spaced holes or passages 21. ln order still further to guard against sloppinn` out ot' oil through the .inlet port when power vis port does not open directly into the-oil than-that ofthe main oil chamber 11i; and

upon. the end ot the pulley..

' tends intothis eounter'sink.

the'two chambers are separated by a partition which is in effect a second baille plate. having' spaced holes Vorepassageways 27 which are staggered with rrespect to the holes 21 in the baille plate 19 in the manner `best shown in Fig'. L1:. the holes 2T having1 different angular lorations than the holes 2l and being located nearer the axis of the sha'lt 9. Consequently the waves, which are Yforinedfin the oil when power is tirst applied to the pulley or when power is withdrawn troni the pulley, are brokenup and reduced by one or both' of the battle plates to such an extent that the oil is prevented :trom being thrown ont through the inlet port 17. Y

Soon afterk the pulley starts to rotate. and thereafter as long as the rotation continues, the oil is spread out as a layer on the outer wall or' the oil Chamber and no tendency to throw it out through the inlet port ists. .ll'llhein however. poweris withdrawn from the pulley and the pulley slows down and `linally comes to rest, some ol the oil is liable to reach the inlet port and run out In order to avoid this occurrence. the walls'ot vthe inlet port 1? 'and of the auxiliary oil chamber 2?, are peculiarly constructed. and a peculiarly shaped collar is 'fastened to the shaft close to that end ot the pulley in which the inlet port is tormed. Referring` more particularly to Fie'. 1. the compartment or auxiliary oil chamber 23 is of diameter less than that of the main'chamber 11 :,.and upon that wall ot the auxiliary chamber 23 through which the circular inlet port 17 extends vis an annular ledge 2S) having formed Vtherein a. eircularvgroove 31. Fastene'd to the shaft 9 close to the inlet end of the Vpulley is a collar 33 (see Fig. a setsorew serving' to hold the collar in place. Formed in the upper portion of Vthe collar is a groove 37 which extends 'from the uppervsurtaci-z ot the collar diagonally downward to that end n which is located adjacent .to the end of the begjinninrj vat the groove Y37 andV extending bevel as'indioa-ted at the beveled surface 43 throughout most o'ffits extent beings a continuation of the surface of the'inner wall oit'the eireularinlet port 17 as shown'in Fig. 1. The pulley 5 Vhas a slight oountersink aboutits bore at that end in VwhiehtheV "inlet portis: tormed2and thecollarY 33 ex- ".Consi'deriiagA therrpnlley has Vj ust lcome tov rest. in thelpos'itionshown in 1, thereY `ivill 'still be Vsome oilvon the upper portions chambers 11 and 23, it will be suiiicient to point out possible courses which may be taken by oil which is lodged on the upper portion ot' the outer wall of the cliamber 23. Any oil which runs down the right-hand wall oi this chamber or drops upon the inner wall thereof will run around the shaft and down into the lower portion ot' the chamber. Any oil which runs down the lefthand wall or drops into the groove 31 will follow that groove around the shaft and also ind its 'way into the lower portion of the chamber 23. Any oil which rims down the upper portion of the outer wall of the inlet port 17 will drop into the groove 37 or fall upon the beveled faces 39 1from whence it will run upon the beveled face 4:3, and from there it will run upon the lower portion of the inner wall of the inlet port 17 and thus reach. the lower portion'o't the chamber 28. Consequently all of the oil will eventually find its way into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1. The outside ot the pulley, the belt and everything adjacent the pulley is thus kept tree of oil.

Oil may be supplied to the pulley at any time by squirting or dropping oil into the groove 37 of the collar. Or the collar might be dispensed with so far as the supplying ot' oil is concerned and the spout of the oil can inserted in the inlet port 17. Although the pulley may be supplied with oil at any time whether rotating or at rest, it is preferable to perform this operation while the pulley is at rest for the reason that the operator may then supply just the right amount. of oil because he can look through the inlet port 17 and note just what is the level of the oil.

Although the invention has been set forth as embodied in a. particular device, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular device which has been shown and described.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what Iclairn new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A stationary shaft, a device rotating upon the shaft, said device having an oil chamber therein and an inlet port communieating with said chamber, and a stationary member having a `groove in its upper portion into which oil may be squirted and surfaces leading from the lgroove adapted to conduct the oil from the groove into the inlet port.

2. A device of the class'described having a bore to receive a shaft, an annular oil chamber surrounding the bore, a. member carried thereby and adapted to take oil trom the chamber and apply it to the shaft, and an annular inlet port communieating` with the chamber whereby oil may be supplied to the chamber in any angular position which the device may occupy.

A .device of the class described having a bore to receive a shaft, an annular oil chamber surrounding the bore, a memberl adapted to take oil from the chamber and apply it to the shaft, an annular inlet port communicating with the chamber whereby oil may be supplied to the chamber in any angular position which the device may occupy, and a baiile plate adjacent to said member to prevent oil from being thrown out of the chamber through the inlet port.

1- A device of the class described having a bore to receive a shalt, an annular oil 'chamber surrounding the bore, a member adapted to take oil from the chamber and apply it to the shaft, said applying member havinga portion extending outwardly into said chamber, an inlet port in one end ot the device, a passageway connecting the inlet port with the chamber, and a perforated battle plate located in the chamber between the inlet port and the outwardly extending portion of the oil-applying member.

5. A device ot the class described having` a bore to receive ,a shaft, an annular oil chamber surroundingsaid bore, a passage connecting the bore with the chamber. an absorbent member extending through said passage and adapted to receive oil from the chamber and apply it to the shaft, said absorbent member having a tail extending substantially to the outer wall oit the annular chamber, an annular baffle plate located at one side of said tail, an annular opening in that end of the pulley which is located on the same side of the tail as is the baiiie plate, and passageways leading from the opening to the chamber.

6. A device o'l the class described having a bore to receive a sha'ttdin oil chamber surrounding the bore. a passage connecting the bore with the chamber, a member adapted to take oil from the chamber and Iapply itthrough the passage to the shalt, an auxiliary oil chamber of less diameter than the first, a passage connecting the two chambers, and annular inlet port in one end of the device communieatingwith the .auxiliary oil chamber.

7. A device ot the class described having a bore to receive a shaft, an annular main oil chamber surrounding the bore, a passageway connecting` said bore and chamber, a wick extending through the passageway and having a portion extending outwardly into the main oil chamber, an auxiliary oil chamber located at one side of the main oil chamber, the auxiliary chamber being of less diameter than 'that 'of the main chamber, a `perforated baille plate located in the Vmain oil chan'iber, a second perforated baille plate -a bore to receive a shaft, an annular oilV chamber surroundingthe bore, means for supplying` oil from the chamber to the shaft, an annular. inlet 'port concentric with but oit' less diameter' than 'the oil chamber, and an annular 'ledge ot lgreater diameter than the inlet port extending into the oil chamber and provided With an annular lgroove 'to conduct oil which drips down upon the ledge into the bottom ol the oil chamber.

9. A stationary shaft, a device rotatably mounted on the shaft, said device haviirg` an oil chamber and an inlet port communicating therewith. and a Stationary member' co-operating With the hub of the pulley to receive oil from a source otsupply and to direct the cil into the inlet port irrespective of the angular position which the rotary device may occupy.

l0. A stationary shafna device rotatably mounted on the shaft, said device having an oil chamber `and an annular inlet port th 'vvalls of which are inclined outwardly from the axis of rotation in a direction from the end of the pulley to the interiorthereof, and a stationary oil-receiving and conductingl member having .its oil-delivering end located adjacent the inlet port, the lower portion of the end of the member having an outwardly flaring surface which is a continuation oit the surface of the inner Wall of the adjacent portion of the inlet port.

Il. A pulley, a shaft upon which the pulley is rotatably mounted, said pulley having an oil chamber therein, an inletV port through which oil may be supplied to the chamberyand means for receiving oil which may run out through the inlet port and for directingit back into the oil chamber.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisl specification. Y MILTON H. BALLARD. 

